The International Women’s Podcast Festival announces headline show
The International Women’s Podcast Festival, a one-day event for female innovators and leaders in podcasting, audio and radio, takes place on Saturday 18 June at Kings Place, London.
Podcast community and festival creators Content is Queen have put together a day of events with a line-up of podcasters and producers from around the world tailored to help podcasters create and grow in an inclusive and inviting space.
The headline show is Beyond the Self, hosted by globally recognised coach, consultant, and writer Africa Brooke. Beyond the Self is a podcast about focusing on what you can control. Appearing alongside Africa will be special guest Blair Imani a writer, mental health advocate, and historian living at the intersections of black, queer, and Muslim identity.
“I am looking so forward to being in conversation with Africa Brooke. I’m honoured to be in a community with women and gender diverse people from around the world as we strengthen our networks, share our best practices, and invest in ourselves and each other,” says Blair Imani.
Keynote speakers include Commissioning Producer for BBC Sounds, Leanne Alie (UK), co-founder of Ghost Island Media Emily Wu (Taiwan), Africa Pod Fest co-director Melissa Mbugua (Kenya), FayFay (Nigeria) of Naija Pod Hub, digital activist and veteran podcaster Bridget Todd (USA) of There Are No Girls on the Internet, Mae Thomas (India) of Maed in India, and Lory Martinez (France) founder of Studio Ochenta.
Panels and talks to gain instant access to some of podcasting’s greatest minds, independent creators and industry insiders will include multi-award-winning podcasters and women who carved out a niche and innovated in the industry.
Speakers include Sharon McMahon of Sharon Says So, Adrienne Banfield-Norris of Red Table Talk and Positively Gam, Dr Laurie Santos of The Happiness Lab, and The Observer’s Miranda Sawyer. Also confirmed are Jude Kelly of The WOW Foundation, Mothers of Invention’s Maeve Higgins, Charlotte Williams and Bianca Foley of Sustainably Influenced, Arielle Nissenblatt of Earbuds Collective, The FT’s Fiona Sturges, and Kaz Lucas of The Spread, Kenya, who comments: “A table anyone should be happy to pull up a chair at. Being a part of a women’s podcasting festival is an incredible position to be after all the years of sweat, blood and tears. Not something I suggest anyone should miss.”
Live Shows include The Masala Podcast with Sangeeta Pillai featuring special guests including Salma El-Wardany, Shazia Mirza, and Seema Anand and The Baggage Reclaim Sessions with Natalie Lue.
Content is Queen founder Imriel Morgan says: “This festival is the first of its kind in the UK and now the world. I’ve been deeply entrenched in the podcast industry for 7 years now and women’s voices and contributions are still woefully underrepresented.
“When you add race and sexuality to that it’s even bleaker. This festival changes that and reimagines the industry from the perspective of a representative group of female leaders so that we can empower and inspire the next generation of voices.”
This event has been created so attendees from every background can see themselves At least 25% of profits from The Women’s Podcast Festival 2022 will go towards Content is Queen’s Summer Microgrant Programme.
You can find out more at the Content is Queen website.